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Journalism of Courage
A week after the Delhi High Court castigated a litigator for specifically targeting Islamic structures and seeking their removal on grounds of being unauthorised encroachments, the court once again rapped the petitioner Wednesday.
In a fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL), Save India Foundation, a registered trust, through its founder Preet Singh, sought the removal of eight Islamic structures — masjids and dargahs — on the grounds that they are unauthorised constructions within schools and hospitals. The non-government organisation claims to be working on “raising issues for the enforcement of rights” of citizens.
Last week, in a similar petition by the NGO seeking the removal of four Islamic structures, Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya orally remarked, “How do you selectively bring forth these petitions of dargahs allegedly encroaching? Do you not see other encroachments? Why are you identifying only mazars?”
On Wednesday, Chief Justice Upadhyaya again reiterated to the petitioner’s counsel that “selective petitions create a cloud on bona fide (of the petitioner).”
“What is this? Every week? Every single week? You chose one structure, make a representation (before the authorities and then), come to the court… Don’t you see structures elsewhere?… One thing more…you’re an activist or what we do not know, but as an officer of the court, you owe some duty to the court system as well,” CJ Upadhyaya orally remarked.
The division bench of Chief Justice Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela closed the matter, refusing to entertain on merits, and issued a direction to consider their representation and take action in accordance with the law.
The PIL sought the court’s directions to the authorities to protect the “life and liberty of the children studying in various schools of Delhi and various government hospitals, wherein the encroachers have trespassed and have created pseudo religious structures to cover up their commercial activities.”
It also sought the removal of eight Islamic structures, six allegedly inside school premises and two inside government hospital premises.
In 2022, the NGO and Singh were booked by the Delhi Police for an alleged hate speech at a Hindu Mahapanchayat organised at Burari ground. Dasna Devi temple head priest Yati Narsinghanand is also a key accused in the First Information Report.
In 2021, Singh was also the organiser of an event held at Jantar Mantar, where anti-Muslim slogans were shouted.
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